Delivery / Pickup A phone call to Fran Hall at RCR caught me a little off-guard. I was calling to see what the status of my build was – He said come pick it up next Friday. How’s that for notice? I scrambled to change my calendar around. It would be tight, next Thurs/Friday is the week before Christmas, the weather didn’t look good, but after a years anticipation, you just have to do it. A nine hour drive with a trailer to Detroit, an overnite in a local motel and waking up to about and inch of snow on the ground.  And now, a 9Read More →

The considerably smaller owner market means there are even fewer online build documentations. These are a few of the ones I have referred to. GT40 Supercharged Jason Ferraro’s RCR build Australia Ruffian GT40 Chris Ashton’s highly modified Superformance Southern CaliforniaRead More →

How many small blocks are there? When I decided to build a GT40, my experience with Ford engines was primarily Big Block FE’s. While there are multiple configurations of the FE, there is essentially one engine with some minor differences. Easy enough I thought that same logic would apply to the small blocks. Boy, was I wrong! The 289/302 has entirely different front dress arrangements, not just a couple but 11 at last count. And some couldn’t even be identified by year or model – it depended what Ford may have had on the shelf when the car ran down the line. Nothing seemed constant.Read More →

What cobra should I buy/build? I always answer this question with an explanation of the cars history and asking what are you trying to do? Do you want a good resale value, as cheap a build as possible or what?  As you become familiar with the hobby and the vehicle, you learn there are four tiers of cars available to you. Original Cobra: unless you have an unlimited bankroll, this is probably out of your range. At today’s market, 427 cars are going to run you 1-2 million, depending on their pedigree and condition. Continuation & Kirkhams: Often these are one in the same, ShelbyRead More →

There’s a lot that goes into building a replica in addition to the wrench turning.  Project background Costs & Budget The hardest part Time and space requirements Kit Info Problems Choosing a vendor Documentation Licensing Mod’s Couple tips – Do a lot of research before (and during) your start and developed a method of thinking about four steps ahead of where you are. (Where you plan to put that bolt might not be accessible once the body is in place)Read More →

The body I received was very high quality – on the outside. The inner edges left a lot to be desired. Two issues; 1) voids in gel coat and underlying glass had to be repaired to insure integrity of the finish and 2) I knew that people would be feeling the edge to determine the type of body. I could emulate aluminum but I could make it as close as possible. The body openings, on the inside, looked as if they had been cut out with a dull pocket knife. In many areas, the glass laminate had separated and presented voids. The arrows point toRead More →

How long and do I need a shop? I know people who have assembled a kit in as short as four months while working a normal 8-5 job. It can be done. My build took me three years to complete but I took my time and made a lot of modifications along the way. I was working a normal job and rarely did I work on the car except on the weekends. I didn’t keep track but I estimate around 2,000 hours. As far as space, I did it in one half of a two car garage. With rare exception, my wife parked her carRead More →

When I began the initial investigation into building a replica, I quickly learned the market fell into four tiers; Entry Level / builds that emulate the cobra appearance Mid Tier / builds that replicate the original very faithfully Kirkhams Shelby Continuation series And I was given very astute advice – look closely at the prices the various manufacturers display and don’t let the initial web price figure alarm you. Do the math, adding all the accessories to your build and you’ll see the cars within a given tier are very close in price, Factory FIve is the best marketed kit available. But they have taken someRead More →

Choosing a kit supplierThis is probably the 2nd hardest thing to do in building your dream. (First is selecting a color). It is wise to do a little belly button gazing and determine what you are trying to accomplish. Different kits are designed to fulfill different objectives. Got lots of money, want as close to original as possible, like aluminum body. Kirkham is the only supplier to my knowledge, supplying an aluminum body. But be prepared to shell out $$$$ Got a wrecked Mustang in your family that you can get the motor and drivetrain from and on a very tight budget, FFR (Factory Five)Read More →

Vendor IssuesI am reminded of an old axiom, “if it has wheels, you’re gonna have problems with it” As I researched for my build, I kept looking for the negatives or problems. I felt everyone was going to say their car was the greatest, who wants to admit they bought a lemon. But if enough problems showed up, it might help me determine which manufacturer was going to get my hard earned dollars. I didn’t find any publicly posted problems with the Hurricane kit. I did find all kinds of raves on how attentive the company and employees are to any form of problem. AfterRead More →